Railway-car



(No Model.) r 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

0. W. JONES. RAILWAY GAR.

No. 426,385. Patented Apr. 22, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES \VALKER JONES, OF JOI-INSONVILLE, MISSISSIPPI.

RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,385, dated April22, 1890.

Application filed August 21, l 88 9,

make and use the same.

This invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements inrailway freightcars, and more particularly to such as are known as thegondola or flat-bottom platform-cars.

The general object of my invention consists in providing cars of theabove description with a false or transferable top, which top or truckshall be so constructed as to per- .mit of its being shifted ortransferred, to-

gether with the load thereon, from one car to another, or from the carto a platform built for the purpose beside the track, or which shallallow of the load being dumped direct from the car proper withoutnecessitating the removal of the false platform-top from the car; and myinvention further consists in the means whereby the false top may besecurely retained in position during transit, whereby the same may beallowed lateral movement for dumping purposes, and, further, whereby theslipping or rolling off of the same when being shifted from side to sideof the car is prevented.

With these objects in View my invention consists of the peculiarconstruction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter more fully shownin the drawings and described in the specification.

Referring to the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1is a perspective View of a car provided with my improved transferabletop, said top being in position to receive a load;Fig. 2, a view showingthe false top run upon a side platform. Fig. 31s a bottom plan view ofthe transferable top or car truck; Fig 4, a similar view of the carproper; Fig. 5, a detail view showing one of the oper ating-rods, withhand=wheels secured thereon; and Fig. 6 is a view showing thetransferable top raised to a dumping position, so as to Serial Nc321,540. (No model.)

more fully illustrate the means whereby the same is retained upon theear proper.

Similar letters of reference are used to designate corresponding partsthroughout the entire specification and several views of the drawings. I

The letter A is used to indicate the ordinary railway platform-car, tothe top of which is secured the iron tracks a a, said tracks runningcrosswise to the length of the ear and at suitable intervals apart. Theend cross-tracks a a are made of half-round iron or steel, while theintermediate ones a a are of flat iron.

To both sides of the car I attach the keepers I) Z9, within which thelower end of the standards B B are secured.

Beneath the car proper run the operatingrods 0 G which are supportedthroughout their entire length by means of the hangers C 0', attached tothe car-bottom at suitable intervals. The ends of the operating-rodsproject beyond the ends of the car, and have immovably secured thereonthe hand-wheels D D. The outer peripheries of these wheels have a seriesof holes 66' d formed therein, for the purpose hereinafter more fullystated.

The transferable top or car-truck is represented by the letter E, andconsists of the metallic frame composed of longitudinal and cross-beamsE E, which intersect each other at right angles, and to which is securedthe floor or top To the bottom or beams of the false top I secure,within bearings e e, the rollers or wheels F F, which are adapted towork upon the tracks a a. The outer periphery of the end wheels isgrooved, so as to receive the tracks a a, while the intermediate wheelshave flat surfaces, so as to roll upon the flat crosstracks a a. Byhaving the end wheels grooved to receive the half-round tracks at theend of the car-top, I am enabled to provide against the liability of oneend of the false top running ahead of the other when being moved off thecar, which would be liable to result if the end tracks were made of flatiron.

The top of the transferable truck, at the ends th ereef, has opening 6 eformed therein, which register with openings f f in the carbottomproper. illhrough these openings I insert the retaining-bolts G, whichserve, in conjunction with the standards B B, to securelyhold thetransferable truck in position during transit. The retaining-bolts Gproject beyond the bottom of the ear and are keyed thereunder; Therollers or wheels secured in bearing beneath the transferable truck arein three rows, which rows are located beneath the sides and center ofthe platform. The platform or truck is sufficient in size to entirelycover the car proper, and the sides of the floor E have a series ofnotches h h formed therein, through which the standards B 13 pass.Secured beneath the car proper to the operating-rods O O are four chainsH H, two of which are attached to each of the rods. The chains run fromthe operating-rods over the pulleys or rollers h 71., journaled in thesides of the car beneath the floor and beams of the transferable truckuntil the opposite sides thereof are reached, where they are fastened tohooks jj, secured to the side of 1 the trucks. By means of these chains,through the medium of the operating-rods, I am enabled to shift or rollthe car-truck from one side of the ear to the other, so as to permit ofthe same being unloaded.

At each end of the ear proper I fasten the chain J, which is connectedto the ends of the car-truck, at the center thereof, by means of thehook Z, secured to its free end, which fits in the staple m. Thesechains are in length one-half the width of the car, and the purposethereof is to prevent the truck from rolling off when being dumped, asshown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. I

In order to facilitate the turning of the operating-rods O 0 I secure tothe projecting ends thereof the hand-wheels D D, which, as beforestated, are immovably fastened to said rods and have a series ofopenings or holes formed in their outer periphery.

Within the holes or openings cl d fit the end' of the hand-lever L, bymeans of which the same is revolved and therewith the operatingrods.

The retaining-bolts G having been removed, the operation of dumping myimproved transferable truck is as follows: The turning of thehand-wheelD revolves the operating-rod G which causes the winding of thechains l-l' upon said rod, and as said chains are secured to thetruck'the latter is caused to move toward the side of the car, movingupon the tracks a at until the center rollers reach the same, whenfurther lateral movement is stopped by reason of the chains J J, securedto the ends, at the center, of the car and truck.- The truck havingmoved sidewise until the center rollcrs reach the side of the carproper, which causes one-half the width of the truck to projeet beyond,the projecting weight will be suf ficient to cause the tilting of thetruck with little or no pressure until the contents thereof have beenemptied upon the ground, when by turning the hand-wheel D, whichrevolves the operating-rod C, causing the winding of the chain H thereonand loosening of chain H from rod 0 the truck is brought back to itsoriginal position. hen the freight to be unloaded consists of heavymaterialsueh as ing of the hand-wheel, revolving of the operating-rod,and winding of the chains upon said rod, as previously described. Afterhaving been rolled or moved upon the platform the chains may, if sodesired, be disconnected from the truck and the same allowed to remainupon the platform, where it may be unloaded at pleasure or removed tostore-houses.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure protection in by Letters Patent of the United States,is-

1. The combination, with a platform-car provided with transverse tracks,the end ones thereof being curved and the intermediate ones flat, andalso provided with laterally-extending side keepers, of a transferablefalse top or truck fitting upon said car and provided on its under sidewith wheels or rollers, the end wheels being grooved and theintermediate wheels having fiat peripheries, said transferable truckbeing also provided with side notches, and uprights or verticalretainingbars fitting in the notches of the top and having their lowerends passing into the keepers, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a platform-car provided with transverse trackslocated upon the top thereof, of a transferable false top or truckfitting upon said car, having transversely journaled upon its under sidesuitable wheels or rollers, which move upon the cross-tracks,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with a platform-ear provided with transverse tracks,of a transferable false top or truck fitting upon said car, provided onits under side with a series of longitudinal parallel strips, transversestrips intersecting said longitudinal strips at suitable intervals, andshort shafts journaled between said transverse strips and carryingsuitable rollers or wheels, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a platform-earprovided with suitablecross-tracks, of a transferable false top or truck fitting upon saidear, and having transversely journaled upon its under side suitablewheels or rollers, which move upon the cross-tracks, and end chainsconnecting the car with the transferable top,

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whereby the latter may be allowed lateral movement for dumping purposesand prevented from rolling off the car, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with a platform-car pro-4 vided with tracks locatedupon the top thereof, of a transferable false top or truck fitting uponsaid ear, and having journaled upon its under side suitable rollers orwheels moving upon said tracks, operating-levers passing longitudinallybeneath the ear and provided on opposite ends with suitable hand-wheels,

and chains connected to each of the operatgitudinally beneath the carand provided on opposite ends with suitable handwheels, chains connectedto each of the operating levers and extending laterally from the sameover pulleys journaled in the side pieces of the car and then inwardlybeneath the transferable top, the ends of said chains being connected toopposite edges of the transferable top, and a hand-lever fitting inholes formed in the peripheries of the hand-wheels, substantially as setforth.

7. The combination, with a platform-ear having its side edges providedwith laterallyextending keepers, and also provided with end apertures orholes, of a transferable top or truck having end apertures registeringwith the apertures of the top or truck and provided with side notches,bolts passing through said registering apertures, a key for locking saidbolt beneath the car, and uprights or vertical retaining-bars fitting inthe notches of the top and having their lower ends passing into thekeepers, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES WVALKER JONES. lVitnesses:

W. M. WHITEHEAD, E. R. WHITE.

